It is already known that the plant contains at least 60 different substances called cannabinoids, some of which alter consciousness. A medically interesting active ingredient in hemp is the weakly psychoactive cannabidiol (CBD), which has an antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory effect and can also be used against nausea and anxiety. However, another compound has a much more intense effect: delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This is what many plant breeders aim for.
The chemical structure of THC is similar in form to the naturally occurring compound anandamide in the body. Anandamides are responsible for sending chemical messages from nerve cell to nerve cell. By binding to specific receptors, they affect how people taste, smell, hear, think, move, and concentrate, among other things. There are two main types of receptors. CB2 receptors are mainly found on cells of the immune system, CB1 receptors on nerve cells in the brain. If THC now docks onto CB1 instead of anandamide, you are intoxicated.
Drug use in the pandemic
The cannabis business remained almost unaffected by the corona pandemic. The cultivation of cannabis in the European Union in 2020 was at the same level as before. Some users have adapted their behavior, there were fewer occasional smokers, and those who smoked shared their joints with others less often. But dealers found sales and users found the products they wanted.
Those who occasionally used drugs before the corona pandemic reduced their consumption or even gave it up altogether. On the other hand, those who regularly used cannabis, heroin or other drugs consumed more over the period. Studies would indicate this, according to the European Drug Report 2021.
What many cannabis users were wondering: How should I adapt my behavior because of Corona? “In recent years, the sharing of a joint, which in the past has been viewed as an expression of friendship, community and generosity, has inevitably become a possible route of transmission for Covid for some and therefore something to be avoided,” reads the Global Drug Survey Report 2021
Finding out to what extent the pandemic is affecting user behavior was a core topic of the current survey. According to this, more people rolled or stuffed their joints and bongs themselves. Joints offered were also rejected more often, windows opened more often than before the pandemic – when people smoked weed with others – and kept their distance.
How strong a joint is is determined by the amount of CBD and THC in it. Cannabidiol can mitigate the effects of THC. If the amount is large enough, one feels more relaxed to sleepy after smoking. However, if the cannabis in the bag has a particularly low CBD content, hallucinations can be expected.
It is not yet clear which CBD and THC percentages will be legal for use in the future in this country. A quantity limit is also planned, but the value has not yet been determined. For patients who are being treated with cannabis in Germany, the amount is currently measured according to need and prescription. “For example, it’s about 30-gram units with a THC content of 18 to 21.8 percent,” explains pharmacist Frank Buffleb. For the more potent means, cannabis from abroad is currently required. Only two varieties of the plant are grown in Germany, one with 14 percent THC content, the other with 20 percent.